Description
A delicious and nutritious Creamy Ranch Protein Pasta Salad featuring high-protein chickpea pasta, tender baked chicken breasts, fresh vegetables, and a tangy homemade ranch dressing made with Greek yogurt and fresh dill. Perfect for a wholesome lunch or light dinner.
Ingredients
Scale
For the salad:
- 8 oz dry chickpea pasta or higher protein pasta of choice
- 1 cup raw broccoli chopped
- 1 cup red bell pepper diced
- ½ cup cucumber diced
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast or parmesan cheese
- 1.5 cups coleslaw mix
For the chicken:
- 2 chicken breasts 425g
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
For the dressing:
- ¾ cup plain Greek yogurt
- 3 tablespoon mayonnaise optional
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoon fresh dill
- 4 tablespoon water
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven: Preheat your oven to 450°F to prepare for baking the chicken breasts.
- Cook pasta: Cook the chickpea pasta according to the package instructions until it reaches an al-dente texture. Once cooked, drain the pasta well and set it aside to cool.
- Make dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the Greek yogurt, mayonnaise (if using), dijon mustard, lemon juice, fresh dill, water, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt to create the creamy ranch dressing.
- Prepare chicken: Coat the chicken breasts with olive oil and rub evenly with garlic powder, paprika, salt, and black pepper. Place the chicken in a large glass baking dish.
- Bake chicken: Bake the chicken for 22 minutes at 450°F or until it is completely cooked through but remains juicy. Remove from the oven and allow the chicken to cool slightly.
- Shred chicken: Shred the cooked chicken using a stand mixer on high, two forks, or by hand to your preferred texture.
- Assemble salad: In a large salad bowl, combine the cooked pasta, shredded chicken, chopped broccoli, diced red bell pepper, diced cucumber, nutritional yeast or parmesan cheese, and coleslaw mix.
- Toss with dressing: Pour the prepared ranch dressing over the salad ingredients and toss everything well to evenly coat with the dressing.
- Garnish and serve: Garnish with extra nutritional yeast or parmesan cheese and additional spices if desired. Serve immediately or refrigerate for later enjoyment.
Notes
- You can substitute mayonnaise entirely with additional Greek yogurt for a less rich but still creamy dressing.
- Feel free to adjust the ratio of yogurt to mayonnaise in the dressing for your preferred taste and texture.
- This pasta salad is best served chilled but can be enjoyed at room temperature if preferred.
- Use fresh herbs like dill for best flavor, but dried dill can be used in a pinch at about one-third of the quantity.
- Check chicken for doneness with a meat thermometer ensuring internal temperature reaches 165°F.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 350 kcal
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 500 mg
- Fat: 10 g
- Saturated Fat: 2 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 40 g
- Fiber: 7 g
- Protein: 30 g
- Cholesterol: 60 mg
